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Hundreds of people joined the United Nations (UN) office in Accra for a health walk as part of activities to mark the 78th United Nations Health Walk.
Groups such as heads of agencies, UN staff and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of the diplomatic corps and representatives from civil society were notable organised groups who joined the two-and-a-half-hour exercise.
The walk, a collaboration between the UN in Ghana and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also to promote healthy living and lifestyle.
The theme of the health walk; “Accelerating Action towards the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2023 Agenda: Ghana’s Contribution for a Peaceful, prosperous, progressive and Sustainable Future,” aimed to reflect the essence of highlighting a collective responsibility to address the world's most pressing challenges and to ensure no one is left behind.
Amid brass band music, the participants in branded T-Shirts walked at a brisk pace through some principal streets of Accra, starting from the State House through the front of the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital, the Accra City Campus, the Accra Central, the Independence Square, before returning to the starting point where participants engaged in aerobics to crown the day.
Speaking after the walk, the Director of the Multilateral Relations Bureau of Foreign Affairs, Jedidiah R. Adogla, said the walk underscored the essence of the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and well-being) as healthy individuals were the building blocks of thriving communities and nations and symbolises unity and shared commitment to a brighter future.
“As we disperse, let us remember the millions of lives that depend on our collective efforts to achieve the SDGS.
Let us also reflect on the importance of peace and cooperation in a world that faces complex challenges, from pandemics to climate change,” he said.
Mr Adogla acknowledged the need to incorporate the spirit of the health walk in daily and work lives towards the accelerating action for the 2023 agenda the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the FAO, Abebe Haile-Gabriel, on behalf of the UN family in Ghana, expressed his satisfaction with the turnout and thanked staff for their presence and active participation.
He said global challenges required a collective action and a significant contribution of every member country to pave way for a sustainable future for the world, saying that was the very reason for the establishment of the UN.
Mr Haile-Gabriel said Ghana had contributed immensely to the growth of the United Nations through the notable personalities such as the late former Secretary General Kofi Annan.
“We have to do this because the SDGs have only seven years remaining before we meet the SDGs.
We have to accelerate and that's why the UN is celebrating its 78th anniversary,” he said.
The commemoration of the UN 78th Day in Ghana is an annual tradition marked with a number of activities including media engagement, Model UN, a symposium and a flag-raising ceremony, led by the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration, Ghana.
